Voting heavy early in Bristol

Residents lined up early; more crowds expected this evening

Bristol Building official Ed Tanner assists voter Sheila Mello with her ballot at the Quinta Gamelin Center Tuesday afternoon.

Tom Phillips waves to potential voters outside the Fire Department headquarters.

Town Council candidate Patrick McCarthy campaigns outside the fire station.

Town Clerk employee Michelle Martins signs in Roger Williams University student Meaghan Sanborn to vote for president at Bristol Town Hall.

Christina Frenette, left, and Madison Calouro hold signs for their candidates outside the Quinta Gamelin Center.

James Gilbert and Cynthia Bruneaux greet voters outside Mt. Hope High School.

Sandra Stuart campaigns for her husband, Town Councilman Edward Stuart

EastBayRI.com · Tuesday, November 8, 2016 5:35 pm

Voters streamed to the polls early in Bristol Tuesday, and a busy evening is expected at polling locations all over town.

Residents were lining up at the polls even before they opened at 7 a.m., with more than 100 in line waiting to cast their ballots at the Quinta Gamelin Center on Asylum Road, according to Town Clerk Lou Cirillo. After the initial rush, things settled down midday, before the expected after-dinner crowd.

"At the beginning of the day, there's always a crush, but then it settled into a rythem," Mr. Cirillo said. "It was busy, but the lines were moving well."

In addition to the nine regular polling places scattered throughout the town, poll workers were also busy at Bristol Town Hall, where unregistered voters are welcome to register last minute and cast ballots for president only. Many of those voters are students at Roger Williams University who live outside Bristol.

For the most part, there have been no problems with voting, with the exception of a few voting machine breakdowns, but the problems were only temporary and voting has continued uninterrupted through most of the day, Mr. Cirillo said.

"There are always a few hiccups, but nothing extraordinary," he said.

Polls remain open until 8 p.m. Tuesday night. Click here to find out where to cast your ballot.